Poppy Press

UCLA issues “intent to dismiss” notice to lecturer over May 1st encampment raid arrest. Dr. Eric Martin has been a lecturer with UCLA’s Center for the Study of Religion for the past six years. On April 12, he received a notice that UCLA intends to fire him on May 12. As the Trump administration’s threats to withhold federal funds persist, so does UCLA’s crackdown on students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Martin describes his classes as focusing on “global liberation theologies, religious fascisms & anti-fascisms, and how the Bible gets used in US justice movements.” On May 2, 2024, he was arrested alongside 205 other students, faculty, staff, and community members following the brutal police raid of the Palestine Solidarity Encampment.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty were subject to an Academic Senate committee that opted to dismiss the pursuit of sanctions for the arrests of May 2nd, as they recognized that there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing beyond arrest records.

Lecturers and staff, however, were subject to a Human Resources investigation. In July 2024, Human Resources mandated meetings with all arrested lecturers and staff.

In an email response, Dr. Martin informed the Human Resource liaison that he declined to participate in an investigation, emphasizing that the investigation should be redirected to “those who enabled violence through action or inaction.”

Dr. Martin’s class offerings via the registrar had remained unaffected during the academic year. Nevertheless, on April 12, UCLA notified him of their intent to fire him on May 12, citing ‘non-compliance with Time, Place, and Manner policies,’ and ‘insubordination,’ referring to his lack of participation in the investigation.

By the time of the notice, the lecturer had already taught more than two weeks of class, a class that the administration had been aware of and approved prior to the quarter starting.

In a statement he sent to the Poppy Press team earlier today, Dr. Martin wrote:

“UCLA sent me about a 150-page packet through FedEx saying they intend to fire me on May 12, and that I’m banned from campus and using my email.

The letter was dated April 11, and my next class was April 15. In that time, no one informed my students & there was no replacement to teach the class. So everyone showed up and waited for class to start, having no clue why I wasn’t there.”

Due to being barred from his email effective immediately, he was unable to warn his students of his termination.

The department has since issued a replacement to teach the class, but “as far as I understand, UCLA still has not told them,” wrote the lecturer in response to whether UCLA had communicated to his students about the intent to dismiss him or why a replacement lecturer was issued.

It has been a year since Dr. Martin’s arrest, and the university could have chosen to issue their 150-page packet at any point prior to him starting his course. Instead they chose to compromise the education of the countless students taking his class.

UCLA could have simply chosen to not pursue radical punishment for a beloved professor over his stance against the university’s funding of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

After all, the LA City Attorney declined to file charges against more than 250 anti-genocide protesters arrested on May 2 and May 6 at UCLA, Dr. Martin being one of them.

Despite this, the UCLA administration is still pursuing student conduct proceedings against arrested students from last spring and is now intent on firing a lecturer without giving him the grace to finish his course or say goodbye to his students.

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In order to provide context to the type of professor that Dr. Martin represented at UCLA, we would like to showcase a couple of reviews left by students over the years on his BruinWalk page. BruinWalk is a student website in which UCLA students are able to leave reviews and ratings on their professors and classes.

All three of Dr. Martin’s rated courses average at a 5.0, the highest rating, a rare occurrence on a website where students are known for being radically critical of their professors under the protection of anonymity.

“Professor Martin is hands down one of the best at UCLA. Initially, I took this class because it was open. As a person with zero interest in anything religion-related, I walked away from this class with a deep appreciation for things I used to brush off. If you ever have the pleasure of taking a class with him, do not let the opportunity slip by. The pace is manageable and the class discussions are truly amazing. I would take any class Professor Martin teaches.”

“This was one of the best classes I’ve taken at UCLA. Professor Martin is so knowledgeable and clearly cares about his students a lot! Overall, I genuinely think this is a class that everyone at UCLA should take before they graduate – It is just eye-opening in so many ways. Furthermore, the structure of the class itself  allows for such a unique and great environment to want to do well and engage, that it almost comes naturally.”

“One of the best professors I have had at UCLA. He was engaging and empathetic. He valued everyone’s opinions and feeling when addressing the curriculum. Created a collaborative and pluralistic environment in which everyone could voice their interpretations of the readings openly and critically.”

“I can easily say he is the best professor I have ever had! Trust me do not miss out on taking his classes. He is brilliant and such a kind person. You learn so much during his lectures. Professor Martin doesn’t force you to learn he makes you want to learn.”

“Professor Martin is amazing! Considering that I was a first-year transfer when I was enrolled in his course, I was hesitant and unsure how to approach professors, but he made me feel welcomed and understood. He is a great professor and an even better person.”